f 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



By d'Orlic. - 




Res ardua, vetustis novitatem dare, novis auctoritatem, obsoletis 
nitorem, obscuris lucem, fastiditis gratiam, dubiis fidem. Omnibus 
verd naturam, & naturae suae vim etiam non assecutis solvisse, abunde 
pulchrum atque magnificum est. 

Plinius Secundus, in prof at. aurea sua Naturalis Histories. 




If 

PHILADELPHIA : 

PRINTED AT THE LORENZO PRESS OF E. BRONSON. 
,1806. 



INTRODUCTION. 



WHEN a book has been published, it belongs 
entirely to society ; and every one, who has paid for 
it, is at liberty to make any remarks he may think fit 
concerning his property : although he remains highly 
convinced of the personal merit of the author. 

A certain work, which ridicules greatly the com- 
mon and well calculated method of teaching all lan- 
guages, is in the possession of the publick since 1804. 
The newspapers have been constantly echoing its 
praises. 

Nevertheless, no body has offered any strictures 
upon it ; except in one instance in 1804 by a respect- 



4 



INTRODUCTION. 



able teacher in this city, who did no more than com- 
mence his observations, and has discontinued them 
through modesty. 

It will perhaps be useful, when education of any 
kind is in view, to examine without prepossession 
that work, its principles and method ; and by com- 
paring the whole with the pretended old method, to 
enlighten the publick with the help of the best authors, 
that they may be able to form a correct judgment 
upon a matter in which only one party concerned has 
been heard. 

For that purpose the objects, which are discussed 
and refuted in this, pamphlet, are carefully extracted 
from that book and newspapers ; except some facts, 
which are generally known : the arguments employed 
against them, are supported by authorities drawn 
from the best French writers. The principal authors, 
who have been the leaders of that work, are chiefly 
set in opposition to it. 

This criticism is directed only against the work 
and its manner of teaching. If some innocent plea- 
santries come now and then to place themselves be- 
tween barren and tedious subjects, it is with mode- 



INTRODUCTION. 



5 



ration, and the sole intention to enliven, a little, 
discussions repulsive by the weariness they naturally 
inspire; which will also be tempered with some 
quotations of the most renowned English poets, and 
with allegorical stories relative only to that book, 
and being at the same time a refutation of its asser- 
tions and discoveries on the formation of language in 
the dawn of society. 

This pamphlet is divided into two parts; the 
first, referring to the first volume of that work, is a 
dialogue between an American and a professor of 
the French language; in which the professor most 
commonly answers with the very words of the pre- 
liminary discourse of that book. This first part forms 
the refutation of its method of teaching. 

The second refers to the second volume, and re- 
futes its metaphysicks, principles, innovations, philo- 
sophical history of language, pedigree of the parts of 
speech, &c. 

The whole, pointing out the errours of that work, 
embraces the most essential points, and neglects to 
follow it minutely through all its particulars ; which 
would have produced a mortal ennui. 



6 



INTRODUCTION. 



The reader is entreated to be more attentive to 
the thoughts, facts and veracity of the statements, 
than to the faulty Anglico- French style. 

In order to understand well this pamphlet, and 
especially the different allusions and ironical phrases, 
it is needful to read in that book at least the pages or 
places quoted and referred to here. 

Several citations are shortened not with the inten- 
tion of altering the sense of them : the reader may 
refer to the work itself for greater precision. The 
passages, which are here in italick letters, are ex- 
tracted from that work. 

I declare that my intention, by publishing this 
criticism, is not to prejudice any body, but only to 
prove the pretended old method of teaching and the 
ancient grammars, attempted to be brought into 
disrepute for these eighteen months past, are by far 
superiour to that work and its soi-disant new and 
infallible method ; that at least every one may be at 
liberty to use without compulsion, and reject without 
censure what books and wav of teaching he may 
think proper. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



PART FIRST. 



DIALOGUE BETWEEN AN AMERICAN AND A PRO- 
FESSOR OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE, 



AMERICAN. 
I have been told, sir, you are a French master : 
I wish to learn so useful and fashionable a language. 

PROFESSOR. 
I am not, sir, a French master, but a professor of 
the French language ; its usefulness is happily and 



8 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



generally acknowledged. No body is more capable 
than I to teach you ; for I use a method discovered 
not long ago, which renders the acquisition of lan- 
guage by far more easy and expeditious than any other 
that has ever yet been published. (\J 

AMERICAN. 
I beg your pardon. I perceive how important it 
is to know the difference that exists between professor 
and master ; pray acquaint me with it. (a) 

PROFESSOR. 
Willingly. Professor signifies especially the ful- 
ness of the new art of tuition ; master of that of the 
old, stale, threadbare grammatical system. (2) 



(a ) Professor and master have in fact the same accepta- 
tion. I do not design to criticise upon the conduct of any 
person who assumes the title of professor; because a man 
whose profession is to teach is really a professor, as well as a 
publick reader in a university. I intend to speak only of 
the two methods under the direction of one teacher on both 
sides equally qualified, though differently named, and I have 
not a mind to undervalue the skill and personal talents of any 
body, 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



9 



AMERICAN. 
Now, I will carefully avoid to confound these two 
titles. Tell me, if you please, what is the recent 
discovery wherewith the tuition is so wonderfully 
shortened. Does not a new art of tuition suppose 
some change in the French language? Has it had 
also its revolutionaries ? 

PROFESSOR. 
The French language is settled since the age of 
the Darnauts, Lancelots, and a crowd of authors, who 
have adorned the reign of Lewis XIV. As it is 
always the same language to be taught and learnt, 
and as the same difficulties are to be overcome, that 
adds to the importance of the discovery made under 
the high authorities of Locke, Condillac, d?Alembert 
du Marsais, . Sieard, Saint Pierre, &c. {2>J and of 
others who might have hit upon it. ( 4 J ( bj 



(b) Here is an abstract of the mechanism of languages 
and the art of teaching them by Mr. Pluche, b. 2. p. 40. edi- 
tion of 1751, which proves that others have hit ufion it. 

" Jf you begin the learning of a language by practice, that 
f is to say, by the very constant habit of hearing, after that of 
" repeating things well saiijl, and afterwards ypu sjtrengthgn 

B 



10 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



AMERICAN. 
Zounds ! Sir, you jeer by giving for a discovery 
what has been seen in so many authors. 

PROFESSOR. 
But the merit is by applying the principles of these 
philosophers to a particular language ; showing, at 
the same time, that they are applicable to all others, 
C*J fcj 

Consequently in the beginning of the nineteenth 
century, abounding with great events, a work dic- 
tated by the powerful voice of reason and experience,. 



" this use by the study of rules, the knowledge of grammar ; 
" behold the right way : such is the road known at all times." 

These last words are worth notice. I know this quotation 
is favourable to the new method in one sense ; but not in the 
other, and especially in the application. 

(c) Pluche has made the application of these princi- 
ples to the Latin ; Condillac and Sicard to the French ; and 
the manner of learning languages by Radouvilliers, edition of 
1768, to the Greek, German, English, Spanish and Italian; 
then many others have marched before : but with a method 
quite opposite to the new one, as they will see hereafter; 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



11 



/4 J appeared ; and since that time we have been 
possessed of the most simple, expeditious, philosophical 
and infallible method, that can possibly be made use 
of; {4, J we employ it with an incredible success : 
this is what distinguishes the new school from the 
ancient. 

AMERICAN. 

Are there two French schools, a new and an ancient 
one? I should have never suspected such a singu- 
larity. 

PROFESSOR. 
Yes indeed ; there is one entirely bent under the 
burden of many centuries, wearing Roman, clothes 
and curled after the Greek fashion, leaning heavily 
upon grey beard prejudice speaking the trite jargon of 
the schools. ( 5 J She is slowly attended, on one side, 
by Port-Royal, Wailly, Restaud, &c. ; on the other 
side, by Chambeau, Perrin, ^Porny, Wanostrocht, 
&c. ; almost all going off the stage, since they are 
old and without metaphysicks, except Port-Royal. 

The other one is young and beautiful, coming 
forth not long ago from the hands of Nature ; ' she is 
in a stately English garb, holding in the left hand the 



12 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



golden book, and in the right the flambeau of genius, 
Ivhich not only reflects a strong light on grammatical 
science, but on all other studies. ( 6 J 

Locke, Condillac, Montaigne, d^Alembert, La 
Harpe, Hehetius, Harris, Adam Smith, Horn Tooke, 
du Marsais, Beauzee, Geblin, and especially i?. A. 
Sicard, {1 J compose her pompous court, and adorn 
her mind with their knowledge. A multiplicity of 
pupils follow cheerfully her steps. 

AMERICAN. 
Youthful, handsome, elegant ! Oh ! This is my 
muse; for I am out of conceit with what is old, 
wrinkled, and packed up after the antique. Since 
she does not speak but by so many philosophers and 
grammarians, her discourse ought to be substantial 
and free from caprices of fancy ; whereto beauties in 
all countries are sometimes subject. 

What time will it take for me to learn French 
with her method ? 

PROFESSOR. 
The old school would tell you that an American 
is reputed to understand well the French language only 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



13 



when he pronounces, speaks, and writes it properly, 
and is able to translate correctly French into English, 
and English into French, and that requires, with 
application and capacity, two years, or at least eighteen 
months. 

But the new school does not stand upon such 
trifles, and assures you readily that you shall speak 
French in the short duration of six months, (d) 

AMERICAN. 
Well. To be sure ! I am very fond of those 
expeditious methods which go strait along to the aim, 
without so many formalities. But before hand let me 
know that book and its method. 

PROFESSOR. 
Whence come you ? What! You do not know 
Nature Displayed! Yet, swift winged fame has 



(d) It is said four months, V. 1. p. 36. preliminary dis-^ 
course of that book. But this is not so astonishing as the his« 
tory of Thessalus, under the reign of Nero, who declaimed 
with vehemence against the opinions of the physicians of all 
ages, and offered to instruct a beginner in the art of medicine 
in six months. 



14 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



sounded her renown from one hemisphere to the 
other. You have not then read the newspapers of 
1804—1805, the Port Folio of the 15th of December 
last, the Medical Repository, and the Monthly Re- 
view in the end of 1805, inexhaustible in their praises 
upon that work, and the wonders it does not cease to 
perform every where. ( e) 

AMERICAN. 
No ; I am just now from the East Indies, where 
I spent three years. 

PROFESSOR. 
How ! The Bramins had not yet received that 
book and adopted its method. 

AMERICAN. 
'Tis possible they make use of it ; but I have 
heard nothing about it. 

PROFESSOR. 
Oh ! be certain they use that book and its method : 



( e ) Is it after having read that work ? But which is un- 
questionable, is that the praises of the new method have always 
been made with discrediting the old and common method ; 
thus with prejudice for those who use the latter. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



15 



they are too wise and too great philosophers to have 
rejected so profitable a work. 

AMERICAN. 
Since Nature Displayed and her way of teaching 
are by far superiour to the multiplicity of other me- 
thods which overspread us, masters of all languages 
ought to adopt them for the general and private 
welfare. 



PROFESSOR. 
Alas ! men are to be pitied ; they often prefer 
darkness to light. Nature Displayed was no sooner 
in her dawn, than a plan at once so novel and so simple 
did not fail soon to attract the jealous attention of some 
of the principal French teachers, provoked their indig- 
nation and incurred their censure. (%) 

As soon as she appeared above the horison, the 

innovation and the peculiar tendency of the work as soon 

See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed, 
flj p. 10. (5) p. 17. 

f2j p. 16. (6) p. 18, 

C3J p. 15. (7) p. 19. 

(4 J p. 29. (8 J p. 15 



16 ; NATURE EXPLAINED 

roused prejudice ', that antiquated hydra of the schools, 
and in her train a host of enemies against her in order 
to attempt to strangle this infant of reformation in the 
very cradle, {9 J at^ the detriment of the good of 
sciences. (10 J \ 

Ever since almost all teachers have chosen rather 
to creep under the dust of the method generally fol- 
lowed in the schools and founded on erroneous princi- 
ples. (\\) 

AMERICAN. 
To attempt to strangle an infant in the very cradle 
is indeed a very unnatural act : such people deserve, 
for the good of sciences, to remain without disciples. 

PROFESSOR. 
They run the risk of it, if they hold on their 

scientifick crrours, originate in wrong judgment, and 
their blind attachment to ancient forms; for the old 
method of schools, which for so many centuries has 
degraded the human understanding, should at present 
for the benefit of society be entirely exploded. (f) 



(f) The truth is, that according to Nature Displayed, all 
methods of teaching are wrong and confounded under the 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



17 



AMERICAN. 
Ho ! yes, yes ; you are in the right. That 
old method of schools, with her face full of wrin- 
kles, her severe look, spectacles on her hooked 
nose, a cat-o-nine-tails and a ferula at her waist, 
rudiment in hand rudimenting those poor little 
and frightened boys, must be entirely exploded for 
their benefit. As I remember the tears she caused 
me to shed, I will help you to suffocate that 
wicked creature. The aversion she has, since 
that time, inspired me with against rudiments, is so 
insuperable that I cannot bear the smell of them, 
which exales even through all grammars under what 
form and denomination they may be marked. It is 
for this reason that I should wish to use the infallible 
method of Nature Displayed without the book. 

PROFESSOR. 
It is impossible. The method consists in the 



general denomination of the method of schools, or old method ; 
whilst her mode of tuition is the only one efficacious and 
admissible. 

See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 

f8jp. 15. f9jp. 30. flO^p. 40. flUp. 17^20, 
f 12j p 27. fl3jp.l8. ( r 14jp.24.. 

C 



18 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



work, and this contains the history of the gradual 
formation of language ; the means by which nature 
prompted savage and ignorant man to express his 
wants ; f\5 J the fundamental principles of language, 
rather than those of any particular one; and yet the 
points essential and peculiar to the French language ; 
fl6j can these things be found elsewhere ? 

AMERICAN. 
Such a work is certainly a most scientifick one ; 
for, in order to give the history of the gradual forma- 
tion of language, &c. they must have discovered the 
primitive tongue, and followed it, through so many 
centuries and countries, in its gradations, variations, 
mixtures with all other languages, blended also 
together, to which that primitive tongue has given 
rise : which supposes the knowledge of all ancient 
and modern languages. 

PROFESSOR. 
It is precisely to admit the amazing strength of 
those vast giants of literature who have been able thus 
to heap Pelion upon Ossa. Although you imagine this 
history to be one of the most difficult speculations ; a 
man of plain common sense may obtain it, if he will dig 
for it ; but what is commonly called learning, is not the 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



19 



mine in 'which it wi/l be found. Truth is not in the 
bottom of a well, it lies nearer to the surface, though 
buried indeed, at present, under mountains of learned 
rubbish. fl5J 

AMERICAN. 
The surest means not to stay in the bottom of a 
well, is to avoid to go down into it. But how are 
the principles of the formation of language found near 
to the surface? 

PROFESSOR. 

The great principle of the formation of language 
when studied, with reason, in the child of the primor- 
dial family, is that imitation has been the primary 
cause of the first grammar. You must observe 

that tlie tongue of this child being extremely pliant he 
made an extraordinary motion and pronounced a great 
deal better than his parents who were learning from 
him. (VI) 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
f\5 ) p. 33. 

fl6 J p. 21. 2d vol. f ir) p. 20. 2d. vol. 



20 



NATURE EXPLAINED, 



AMERICAN. 
Deuce ! My dear Sir ! Where have you met that 
child of the primordial family ? had he been buried 
under mountains of learned rubbish near the well of 
truth ? Or have you seen him with his extremely 
pliant tongue in the bottom of this well that the lapse 
of ages digs deeper every day since about six thousand 
years. Is the new method a consequence of these 
great principles? 

PROFESSOR. 
No ; these principles gave rise to the analytical 
system. The new method is grounded upon the 
principles of Locke, Condillac and Sicard, that lan- 
guages were not made by rules or art, but by accident 
and the common use oj the people. Then the new 
method is rote itself or common use. 

AMERICAN. 
Consequently a scientifick book and a new gram- 
mar were useless. But what do you understand by 

rote ? 

PROFESSOR. 
Here is directly the object of the schism. The 
false acceptation ghen to the word rote, has confirmed 
many respectable French teachers, in their former 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



21 



prejudices, and more strictly attached them to the old 
mode of teaching by rules diametrically opposite to the 
simple method here laid down. (\%) 

AMERICAN. 
Let us, before all, settle our judgment upon the 
word rote ; what is its true acceptation ? 



PROFESSOR. 
Rote, according to the dictionary of the French 
academy and all others, is the capacity acquired by a 
long habit rather than by study and rules. 

AMERICAN. 
Then it was not the false acceptation given to the 
word rote, which has confirmed many French teachers 
in their former prejudices. But what is the signifi- 
cation of that word according to Nature Displayed ? 

PROFESSOR. 
Nature Displayed says, preliminary discourse, p, 
14; by rote without grammatical rules ; and before, 
without the assistance of a teacher ; p. 38. The 
teachers suppose learning by rote to be a wrong and 
vicious manner of speaking ; but if by rote we, with 
Locke, understand f and it is truly its proper sense 



22 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



when applied to language J the learning of a language 
without the assistance of a grammar, merely by asso- 
ciating and living with those who speak it well, such 
a supposition is both unjust and unfounded. And p. 39, 
Thus the method adopted by the French masters owes 
its origin, in a great degree, to a mistaken acceptation 
of the word rote. 

AMERICAN. 
Nature Displayed falls here into so evident a con- 
tradiction that it is useless to point it out. How can 
French masters mistake upon the acceptationn of this 
word, when it is explained in all dictionaries ? it is to 
charge them freely with ignorance ; whilst every body 
knows that they may contract by rote good habits, 
as well as bad customs ; whilst also Nature Displayed, 
deviating from the true sense of the word rote ac- 
knowledged by herself, by Locke and Condillac, 
admits for her rote a. grammar, and lays the blame 
upon the others by teaching grammatically, (g) 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
( 18 ) p. 37. 

% 

( gj That amphibology will be explained afterwards. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



23 



Be so kind as to tell us why Nature Displayed 
does not stand upon the true meaning of the word 
rote, and why she modifies the signification of it 
against the authority of Locke and Condillac, admitted 
at first as the basis of her method. 

PROFESSOR. 
Because it is impossible to learn, by rote only, a 
foreign language in a country where another tongue 
is predominant. Therefore Nature Displayed has 
been compelled to admit a plan novel and simple by 
making use of a collection of words and phrases for 
her pupils, (19 J composed with three vocabularies 
following as near as possible the order pointed out by 
the scale of our watits ; (20 J and by making up her 
rote with the metaphysical part, the explanations upon 
pronunciation, the elements of speech ; (21 J the whole 
proves that the speediest and most successful method of 
learning a language, is by custom and practice, (22 J 

AMERICAN. 
I understand now perfectly what Nature Displayed 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
(19J p. 15. f 21 ) p. 25. 

( 20) p. 20. (22 ) p. 33, 



24 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



means by rote ; it is the custom and practice of her 
vocabularies, met aphy sicks, parts of speech, and the 
rules inseparable from the whole : I think her rote 
is not very remote from the grammatical system that 
I have seen in the other grammars. And indeed 
Nature Displayed has been very prudent not to es- 
pouse that lean rote, wherewith grammarians and 
masters of languages would be very much out in their 
reckoning. 

PROFESSOR. 
No nipping jest, if you please. Objects of the 
highest importance are in hand, which the publick 
and commonwealth of belles letters are chiefly con- 
cerned in. 

AMERICAN. 
You are in the right. Nature Displayed has ad* 
milted a collection of words and phrases as a plan novel 
and simple. What ! could one formerly speak French 
without having learnt phrases and words ? 

PROFESSOR. 
You are not able yet to pierce into the mystical 
sense of Nature Displayed. She means that the 

knowledge of custom, or of a language, which is the 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



25 



same thing, ought to precede the knowledge of rules ; 
(23 J and the vocabularies being the practical part, by 
far the more important to the learner, as it will enable 
him to acquire a competent knowledge of the French 
language, (24>J must be placed in the beginning of 
the work. 

AMERICAN. 
In fact, this plan is novel and simple ; for the other 
grammars have their vocabularies in the end. But 
seeing that a learner can acquire a competent know- 
ledge of the French language with the vocabularies ; 
why employ also the parts of speech as the other 
teachers, and moreover a philosophical treatise ? It is 
to multiply things without necessity. 

PROFESSOR. 
Metaphysicks being the knowledge of abstractions 
and generalisations, it is impossible, without it, to ad- 
vance a single step in the science of grammar and of 
language. Grammar is disgraced when reduced to 
mere grammar without logick and metaphysicks. (25 J 
The first part of your question has already been 
resolved. 

D 



26 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



AMERICAN. 
Bless me ! is not this to teach grammatically, and 
to fall into contradiction by these two last assertions. 

PROFESSOR. 
No, sir ; the contradictions are only apparent. 
Nature Displayed does not reckon for a part of gram- 
mar her philosophy of language including the parts of 
speech, &x. and calls grammar the syntax only ; 
which is placed in the end of the second volume as 
absolutely useless ; (26 J but for the use of those, who 
being acquainted with a language, are still desirous of 
obtaining a more critical knowledge of it: (27 J then 
the new method deviates from the method of common 
grammars. 

AMERICAN. 
This is merely a sophistical distinction and a sub- 
tlety of Nature Displayed's logick ; for at all times 
the elements of speech have made part of grammar. 
According to Nature Displayed, one may say that 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed 
(23) p. 34. (25) p. 18. (27) p. 36. 

f24 ) p. 19. (26) p. 35. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



the old school uses the syntax at first, and teaches 
only with its rules : will you please to acquaint me 
with the truth, in a manner that may be confessed by 
all masters and scholars. 

PROFESSOR. 
I will. In the old school, they learn first the parts 
of speech, especially the verbs, to which words and 
phrases to get by heart, after having been read, are 
added, with questions upon the spelling. They read 
every time in a French book with interrogations on 
the parts of speech, and words they have seen. As 
soon as the scholar has a sufficient skill in the elements 
of grammar, he begins the interlined version word 
for word from French into English, making after- 
wards the version of the thoughts, which is the only 
object agreeably to the progress, fhj When the 



(h) It is worth observing on these interlined translations 
from French into English, despised by Nature Displayed, that 
they have been contrived by Du Marsais, one of her leaders ; 
some other authors have imitated and improved them. Con- 
dillac himself says, edition of 1798, that it is the best method, 
tome 5. p. d. p. 53. and he has used it for his pupil, p. 144. 

The manner of learning languages " admits these transla- 
" tions as the only method." 



28 NATURE EXPLAINED. 



pupils know perfectly the first part of the grammar 
chiefly the verbs, pronounce, understand French, and 
begin to speak it, they are admitted to Perin's exer- 
cises or others ; and always vocabularies to be learnt 
and lectures. Moreover they write French frequently 
under the dictation of the master. 

AMERICAN. 
This old method does not appear so absurd as 
Nature Displayed maintains it. Now let us see the 
new method in opposition. 

PROFESSOR. 
According to the new method the first volume of 
Nature Displayed and first section of the second are to 
be blended in such a manner that the scholar must 
direct his application to both at the same time ; (28 J 
having five lessons to get by heart in five different 
places of the two volumes. As for the pronunciation. 



Pluche says, p. 96, " Translations of good authors are the 
" only way to get the knowledge of their tongue.*' — 

Then the old school is concordant with all authorities by 
translating, and with Nature Displayed by learning voca- 
bularies. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



29 



that most essential part of language, the learner ought 
first to learn the pronunciation of each French word 
in the vocabularies ; and then of each phrase affixed to 
it. f29j There is no necessity of beginning to read au- 
thors very early. f30j Grammatical rules are no 
more used or thought of than if they had never been 
discovered, (ij And themes or exercises produce 
solecisms, which the method of tuition by rote could 
never have introduced. (?>\) 



AMERICAN. 
Comparing the two methods, it is evident that the 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
f28j p. 24. (W) p. 25. 

^30 J p. 28. (%\) p. 35 &38. 

(i) Except the numerous rules which are inseparable 
from pronunciation, parts of speech, formation of tenses. 
Here is only one for example of many others, p. 61. second 
vol. of Nature Displayed, " I will lay down an infallible rule, 
" by which you can avoid mistakes, when you are at a loss to 
" know when le or lui should be used in French," &c But 
it is to teach philosophically not grammatically, and rules are 
no more used or thought of than if they had never been dis- 
covered, 



03 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



old school employ s not only the same means of tuition 
as the new school, but also others which cannot be 
reputed bad, though neglected as useless or prejudi- 
cial by this latter. 

PROFESSOR. 
Even as light is above darkness, so the new method 
is far above the old one. Can you find in the old 
method three new auxiliary verbs, consequently many 
other new tenses, new classifications, new denomina- 
tions ; the whole refined by the philosophical and 
metaphysical fire ? 

AMERICAN. 
I perceive that the superiority of the new method 
consists chiefly in the position of the vocabularies in 
the book, and in five lessons to get by heart in five 
different places, where they have been, without doubt, 
distributed so artfully as to be suitable to every capa- 
city and be always concordant with the order pointed 
out by the scale of the wants. But all these aforesaid 
novelties are not certainly to simplify the tuition, and 
are against the generality of Nature Displayed. 

PROFESSOR. 
Nature Displayed walking in these innovations 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



31 



upon Sicard's steps has conformed herself to the 
genius of the French tongue ; and her method may 

be accommodated to the dead languages without mate- 
rial alterations in the two parts of this work, f32j 

AMERICAN. 
May be accommodated to the dead languages with- 
out material alterations / My God ! Nature Dis- 
played does not consider, in respect to the dead lan- 
guages, they are obliged to draw every thing out from 
ancient authors, and her innovations are against that 
assertion. Sicard may have composed a very good 
grammar for Frenchmen, knowing their tongue, in 
conformity to his principle, but not allowable to 
Americans wanting only to clothe their ideas with 
French garments. To what purpose are innovations 
in the accessories ? 

PROFESSOR. 
For a man arrived just now from the East Indies, 
you are very urgent. Can you have any thing new 
in grammatical science without innovations of deno- 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
^32 ) p. 30. 



32 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



minations and distributions? Read them all from 
the first one for the French made by Despautere under 
Lewis XI. to the newest, you will be convinced of 
the truth, and that the different systems of grammars 
daily published on the same language amount almost to 
a proof that the grammatical system, is founded upon 
err our. f31J 

AMERICAN. 
Consequently the grammatical system of Nature 
Displayed is liable to the application of this last 
affirmation. 

PROFESSOR. 
No ; because Nature Displayed is not a grammar, 
but nature itself unveiling its secrets, in so essential 
a manner that all notions acquired without her are use-, 
less and must be forgotten. 

AMERICAN. 
With such an assertion her success in six months 
is neither uncertain nor wonderful as to the scholars 
who have been taught before hand. But what gave 
rise to this work ? 

PROFESSOR. 

Trifling incide?its have often ghen rise to events 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



33 



intimately connected with the welfare and improvement 
of mankind. (34 J 

The apple falling from a tree awakes the exploring 
power of New ton i and the eternal laws that govern the 
universe are discovered* {35 J 

"Two grammars are left behind, (36 J and the laws 
of tuition spring out of learning the English by rote. 
(37 J This method by chance is afterwards found 
concordant with that of Condillac. (38 J (jj 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
4%$4%M* (35j $.9. (37 J p. 14. 

f34jp. 9. (36j p. 12. f38jp. 16. 

(j) In order to prove the method of Nature Displayed is 
not concordant with that of Condillac, we lay down hereafter 
some extracts from Condillac's preliminary discourse, t. 5th. 
p. 5. " They will see that the true and sole method is to con- 
" duct a pupil from known things to unknown." p. 6. " This 
" plan is novel and simple ; I do not condemn the teacher to 
" study sciences in the systems, which have been made. Oh 
" the contrary he ought to forget all systems, and to begin 



34 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



AMERICAN. 
There is a great similitude in the trifling incidents ; 
I shall not be the judge of the parallels : but rote and 
method are contradictory things. 

PROFESSOR. 
You are a terrible man with your contradictions. 
Nature ties all beings and objects with a gradual 
chain ; then the whole is in concordance and relation. 
Do you pass over some links ? You find every where 
nothing but opposition and contradiction : it is the 
case in Nature Displayed. 

AMERICAN. 
Very well ! But method and nature are not con- 
cordant ; for nature has no method. What do those 
of the old school allege against Nature Displayed ? 

PROFESSOR. 
Nothing at all. Nature Displayed does not stand 



" with his pupil going from observation to observation and 
" making the same discoveries with him." 

Condillac has executed this plan in reading with his pupils, 
and has used translations. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



35 



in fear of the continual boast of masters of all the 
world, of teaching the language grammatically ; f39J 
for she is shielded from the shafts of envy and prejudice 
under the banners of reason and philosophy . ( 40 J f kj 

AMERICAN. 
Arguments, grounded upon reason and proofs, 
may be rightfully opposed, without envy and preju- 
dice, against a piece of work, whatever it be. Is it 
peculiar to all masters, even ours, to boast continually 
of their manner of teaching ? Have they composed 
any grammars ? 

PROFESSOR. 
They are incapable to make a grammar. To be 
a grammarian one must be previously a metaphysician ; 
(4\) and the philosophers that seem to have approach- 
ed the nearest to that perfection, are Hypocrates, Ar- 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
(%9) p. 15. f40jp. 30. f41jp. 18. 

(k) They may see in Relf's Gazette, No. 4912, in the 
beginning of September 1 804, the banners of reason and phi- 
losofihy, under which Nature Displayed is shielded. 



36 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



chimedes, Newton, Locke, Montesquieu, Condillac and 
Euler. (I) 

AMERICAN. 
Then, who can flatter himself to make a perfect 
grammar ? Is the method of Nature Displayed in- 
fallible in all occurrences and in six months ? 

PROFESSOR. 
It has always the superiority ; with a good scholar, 
studious and endowed with a wonderful memory, it 
operates alone ; for he cannot learn without it : but 
its power is not altered with a blockhead, because a 
stone cannot be taught. 

AMERICAN. 

That is to say, the six months are with the mental 
restriction, if they are able to learn French in that 
period. Let me see that work, if you please. 

PROFESSOR. 
With the greatest pleasure. Here it is. 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
f42j p. 2. 2d. vol. 

(I) Condillac says, t. 6. p. 253 : " We have four famous 
« metaphysicians, Mallebranche, Descartes, Leibnitz and 

« Locke," 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



37 



AMERICAN. 

Nature Displayed, &c. * * * * 

* * * * * * . ■* 
Consequently suited to every capacity * * 
faith ! I am very fond of this title. Has it also a 
mystical sense ? 

PROFESSOR. 
Certainly ; it signifies alone all that is contained 
in the whole work. Substitute in its place the word 
grammar, only convenient to Port Royal, Restaud, 
Wailly, Sicard, &c. 4 pages of &c. ; do you feel the 
difference ? 

AMERICAN. 

Let us pass over again again 

Stop — You have been silent upon this. 

Pronouns, prepositions, adverbs, conjunctions and 
interjections are so essential to the complete conveyance 
of our ideas, that we cannot utter a single sentence 
without introducing some of them, {43 ) The essential 
parts of speech are nouns, verbs and attributes. 



See preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed. 
(4>3J p. 21. vol. i. 



38 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



PROFESSOR. 
That's nothing ; it is easy to correct this fault of 
inadvertency, in adding some words, which have 
been certainly omitted by the printer. 

AMERICAN. 
Ay ! 469 pages of vocabularies in the first volume, 
(m ) 232 in the second to get by heart, and to be 
master of them in six months, without being able at 
first to pronounce a French syllable; and always 
words and phrases all alone to learn by heart. Nature 
Displayed will kill me, although I am not desirous to 
die so soon, and to go and speak French in the other 
world. 

PROFESSOR. 
You are always disposed to take things literally. 



(m) We shall observe that the present anteriour fieriodi- 
cal) or the preterite of the indicative, (old style) is frequently 
used in those vocabularies, without specifying an epoch ante- 
riour at least of 24 hours : a specification which is expressly 
required in the French language for using that tense. How- 
ever, I do not intend to undervalue those vocabularies, which 
having been selected from several others, and having been 
increased, as it is said in Nature Displayed, p. d. p. 22, are 
certainly useful ; but a dictionary is the most complete voca- 
bulary. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



39 



You will learn what you can ; you will pronounce it 
as you can, remember it in like manner : and you will 
be able at the end of six months to articulate at least 
a certain quantity of French words, which will give 
you the reputation of speaking French among those 
who do not know it. ( n) 

AMERICAN. 
You put me in heart again. 

PROFESSOR. 
We are going now to analyze the second volume* 

AMERICAN. 
I had rather be excused ; lay up that analysis for 
some other person. 

PROFESSOR. 
Never mind : you will take notice of it in the 
course of our studies. 



( n) It is impossible that it should be different for a be- 
ginner at the end of six months tuition, either with the new 
method, or with any other, admitting the common lapse of 
time that the pupils devote to the acquisition of the French 
language. 



40 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



AMERICAN. 
Our conversation has perfectly enlightened me. 
The pretended old method of teaching languages, is 
not so ridiculous as Nature Displayed maintains it. 
This old method uses exercises, which cannot be 
proved unsuccessful against authentick authorities 
and a long experience. The new method, rejecting 
those exercises, confines its mode of tuition to the 
learning of words and phrases, only by one way ; (o) 
and has increased the difficulties with many useless 
and erroneous innovations. They will always obtain 
with the common method, all circumstances besides 
being equal, a more complete success than with the 
new one, in the same lapse of time : consequently it 
is impossible to form good scholars with the latter in 
the short duration of six months. As I have learnt 
the French language by the old method, I may be a 
competent judge of its proceedings, (p) 



(o) Condillac says, p. 13. prel. dis. t. 5, " I must confess 
" that the education, which cultivates memory only, may ope- 
" rate prodigies, but these prodigies are kept up but during 
" childhood : and the instruction that would appear to neglect 
" it, should exercise it enough with reflecting. 5 ' 

ffij How many instances can be produced of persons, 
who have been perfectly taught in the French language by 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



41 



that old, stale, threadbare grammatical syste?n ! Among so 
many proofs, we shall speak only of Mrs. Rivardi's seminary, 
where the American ladies learn to pronounce, to speak, to 
write correctly the French language, and to translate both 
ways, walking constantly through the road pointed out by this 
pretended old method, which is the only efficacious one ; un- 
less they wish to learn to speak as parrots, and to be in the 
situation to forget in three months what they have so wonder- 
fully acquired during the short lapse of six, with the sole exer- 
cise of memory. 



END OF THE FIRST PART. 



F 



i 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



PART SECOND. 



CHAP. I. 

OBSERVATIONS ON THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST SECTION 
OF THE SECOND VOLUME OF NATURE DISPLAYED, ENTI- 
TLED PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE, 

IN the preliminary discourse of that book it is 
said : " No one can have pretensions to the character 
" of a grammarian, without previously being a meta- 
" physician, that is to say, without being capable of 
" analyzing the faculties of the soul and tracing the. 
" human ideas to their very source." 

After this passage we are in expectation of finding 
in the beginning of philosophy of language, a complete 



44 



NATURE EXPLAINED, 



analysis of the faculties of the soul, a treatise of sensa- 
tions, an exposition of the operations of the mind, and 
before all some notions of Zoonomia, without which 
it is impossible to trace accurately the human ideas to 
their very source. All these things were requisite as 
a proof of previously being a metaphysician, in order 
to have pretensions to the character of a grammarian. 

But we meet upon the operations of the soul two 
pages only, which have, except some alterations, a 
peculiar reference to the same ideas explained partly 
in Sicard, vol. i. p. 2 and 3 ; and partly in Condillac, 
t. 5, p. 90, 91 and 93. 

I do not intend to conceal that it is said also, p. 23, 
preliminary discourse of Nature Displayed, a philoso- 
phical though not a learned history of the formation of 
language. 

Philosophy of language says, p. 1, Impressions 
refer to matter and sensations to spirit; and p. 2, 
Sensation is an impression received, felt and known 
by the soul through the medium of some of the senses. 

That implies a contradiction ; a sensation referring 
to spirit cannot be an impression which refers to 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



45 



matter ; if sensation is an impression, then it refers to 
matter : a sensation is the effect of an impression ; 
consequently it cannot be the impression itself, which 
is the cause. 

The fact is that a sensation, formerly called image, 
is the motion of the sensorium, and is occasioned by 
the impression ; the impression is caused by the ob- 
ject ; and an idea is the sensation itself present to the 
mind, or occasioned again by remembrance. 

" First the new actions of the excited sense, 
" Urged by appulses from without, commence ; 
" With these exertions pain or pleasure springs, 
" And forms perceptions of external things." 

Temple of Nature, fi. 72, 

Moreover my assertions may be supported by 
Sicard, Condillac, BufFon, and treatises ofZoonomia. 
[These proofs are in the end of this work.] 

As to the invention of writing ascribed to Cadmus, 
celebrated by Brebeuf, and related in Nature Dis- 
played, v. ii. p. 3, with the four verses of this poet ; 
the whole is in Sicard, v. i. p. 10, of the intro- 
duction. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



P. Borell says, p. 15 of his preface, that Cadmus 
brought eighteen letters from Phenicia to Greece, and 
cites curious things, too long to be inserted here, 
which show that the invention of writing is much 
older than Cadmus. 

One may see by running over the three tables of 
the sounds in Nature Displayed, particularly taken 
from Nugent's pocket dictionary, whether they are 
more useful than the instructions of the other 
grammars upon the same subject. 

Yet it is worthy of remark that, according to the 
new method, v. ii. p. 6 of Nature Displayed, the 
tenses of the verbs ending in oit> roit are to be pro- 
nounced as e ; whilst the old method pronounces 
them as e, which is the right pronunciation, and says 
line becasse et trois becassines, instead of une begasse 
et trois begassines. p. 9. c is dubious in secret, &c. 

At the 15th page of the preliminary discourse, 
that philosophy of language is announced under the 
title of the history of the gradual formation of Ian- 
guage ; and in page 64, vol. ii. it is called a system. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



47 



There is a great difference between a history and a 
philosophical system : in fact it is a mere system, or 
hypothesis. 

Perusing with attention that philosophy of lan- 
guage, one may ask : is it what has been promised 
under the banners of reason and philosophy with the 
splendid beams of truth to dispel the clouds of errour ? 
(p. d. p. 30) Where are the proofs of the assertions 
that are advanced in so positive a manner ? 

They will ask again, if that systematical part is 
very important to Americans who are desirous to 
understand, pronounce, speak, and write French. 

Is it true that without metaphysicks it is impossible 
to advance a single step in the science of grammar and 
of language ? (p. d. p. 18) Then, as the instruction 
of youth is here in contemplation, that philosophy of 
language ought to contain nothing but what is or has 
been existing, which constitutes the beams of truth. 

Before we examine the main points of that philo- 
sophy of language, we must say that many learned 
men have made inquiries upon the origin of languages, 
by studying the most ancient monuments, consulting 



48 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



travellers, and walking from analogies to analogies > 
and that they have, in such a manner, discovered the 
tracks of a primitive language : these are, without 
doubt, impowered, before all others, to point out the 
origin, formation and progress of language. 

Some modern philosophers, chiefly J. J. Rousseau, 
cutting short the difficulty and renewing the opinion 
of Diodorus of Sicily, and Vitrovius, have without 
regard for the sacred and profane histories, grounded 
their system of the origin of language upon the mere 
supposition that men were at first living in the wil- 
derness without society and without an articulate 
tongue ; that wants joined them together, and then 
they contrived their vocal language : it is evident 
philosophy of language has borrowed its fundamental 
principle from these philosophers. 

Cordorcet employs openly the same supposition ; 
but Condillac indirectly and with that moderation 
suitable to speculative things ; as we shall see by the 
following extracts from his work. 

Tom. 5. ch. 2. p. 27. " When I speak of the first 
" language, I do not intend to establish that men have 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



49 



" made it; but I think only they have been able to 
" do it." 

Tom. 5. ch. 8. p. 77. " In order, my lord, to 
" determine the analysis made in the beginning of 
" languages, one ought to assure himself of the 
" gradual process wherewith things have been named: 
" they can form nothing on that subject but conjec- 
" tures." 

But Nature Displayed, taking partly the system 
of Condillac upon the formation of language, t. 1. and 
neglecting his first assertion that Adam and Eve, 
going out from the hands of God, were able to reflect 
and impart their thoughts to each other, disposes it 
according to her fancy, and transfers it, without 
ceremony, to the beginning of the world, appointing 
a pedigree of the parts of speech in direct line from 
father to son, and assures us positively things have 
been so, because she says it. 

This preliminary leads us directly to the principles 
and consequences of the system of philosophy of 
language. 

G 



50 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



chap, a 

BASIS OF THE SYSTEM OF PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE IN 
NATURE DISPLAYED. 

" IN the dawn of society, man stimulated by impe- 
" rious wants, strongly felt the necessity of forming the 
" social compact, &c. // was natural that he should 
" express his wants and ideas by the various attitudes 
"of the body and the quickness of the eye. Expe- 
" rience however ere long, made him sensible how ina- 
" dequate the language of the eye only was to the com- 
" plete expression of his sentiments and ideas. A 
" substitute was readily discovered in the power of 
" speech by the cries." (Vol. ii. p. 13. N. D.) 

" Each beast, each insect, happy in its own : 
" Is heav'n unkind to man, and man alone ? ' 
" Shall he alone, whom rational we call, 
" Be pleas'd with nothing, if not bless'd with all. 

Pope's E. on Man. v. 3.% 30, 

Admitting such a basis, it is to be grounded upon 
a supposition contrary to the bible and reason. 

1st. Contrary to the bible : let us open Genesis, 
ch. 2, and we shall find the historical proof of it. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 51 

The bible being the most philosophical book, cannot 
be excepted to in point of philosophy. 

Condillac himself does not go so far from the text 
of the bible, as we have seen, though he says, torn. 
5. ch. 1. p. 6. " Gestures, motions of the face, and 
" inarticulate accents, behold, my lord, the first means, 
" men have made use of to impart their thoughts. 

Pluche upon the same subject says, p. 2 and 12, 
" The Author of Nature placing men in society, has 
" given them the faculty of expressing themselves 
"with the body, eyes, and has added at the same 
" time the sounds of the voice, and has been their 
" first master of language." 

" The manner of learning languages," admitting 
for natural language that of action, shows how it 
could have been able to give birth to all other lan- 
guages ; afterwards, p. 12, it says thus : " I have 
' ' explained how languages could have been framed 
" according to the course of nature, but we know the 
" Author of nature has presided himself at their 
" origin, and he gave our first parents the knowledge 
" of one articulate tongue." 



52 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



That first language must have been very poor to 
signify objects of arts and sciences, since they were 
contrived afterwards, but very laconick and energe- 
tick to picture nature itself and the sublime thoughts 
of two beings created in a perfect state. 

" Adam the goodliest man of men since born 
" His sons, the fairest of her daughters Eve." 

Milton's P. L. b. 4.fi. 97. 

That language must have been also rich in expres- 
sions of the purest love which united these two beings 
to God and to each other. 

• , „ , " When, Adam, first of men, 
" To first of women Eve, thus moving speech, 
u Turn'd him all ear to hear new utterance flow. 
" Sole partner and sole part of all these joys, 
" Dearer thyself then all ; needs must the power 

" That made us, and for us this ample world. 

********* 

********* 

" To whom thus Eve replied. O thou for whom 
" And from whom I was form'd ! flesh of thy flesh 
" And without whom am to no end, my guide 
" And headj what thou hast said is just and right. 

M. P. L. b. 4. ft. 100. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



53 



But Milton being blind could not see the first 
inhabitants of the earth conversing together with 
their arms and eyes only ; and in his quality of poet 
he fancied they were speaking with their voices and 
especially using no cries of which the harmony is not 
concordant with poetical melody. 

2d. Contrary to reason. 

To think, speak actively and vocally, and exist in 
society are inseparable. 

Condillac says, t. 5. p. 36. " the art of speaking, 
" writing, reasoning and thinking are, in the main, 
" a single and same art." Sicard, p. 28. v. i. is of 
the same opinion. 

Man speaks an articulate language because he 
thinks ; he exists in society because he thinks and 
speaks : the two first inhabitants of the world thought ; 
then they were speaking an articulate tongue : con- 
sequently they were in society, and so on to their 
offspring. 

All then concur to prove the errour of the basis 
of the system of philosophy of language : the basis 
being destroyed the whole edifice tumbles down. 



54 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



CHAP. III. 

ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE ACCORDING TO PHILOSOPHY OF LAN- 
GUAGE IN NATURE DISPLAYED, (a) 

" CRIES are composed of interjections with which 
nature has furnished men for the expressions of feel- 
" ings or affections &c. Witness the language of a 
" child," &c. (Vol. ii. p. 20.) 

" Man had only to imitate the cries, &c. he was 
" instantly understood. Having proceeded thus far in 



(a) What we have the most ancient and allowable upon 
the formation of language, is found in the inquiries made by 
the Hebrews on their own tongue that they have reduced to 
its primitive roots. By that means they have explained the 
chain of derivative and compound words, and they have given 
the signification of the different names of God, ancient na- 
tions, famous men, false deities, &c. Other languages have 
afterwards been submitted to the same analysis according to 
that model, particularly the Greek and Latin. I do not flatter 
myself with knowing all the valuable works which treat of 
those subjects ; but I am certain of the facts : I allege them 
to prove that they have upon the formation of language, 
things more certain than systems grounded upon suppositions 
and some apparent and speculative analogies. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



55 



u his observations, in order to give names to those visi- 
" ble objects he was led by nature " &c. (Vol. ii. 
p. 13.) 

" The progress of this language was very slow. 
" The organ of speech was so inflexible that it could 
<c not easily articulate any other than a few simple 
" sounds," dm (Vol. ii. p. 20.) 

"The organ of speech rendered flexible supplied 
" man with a sufficient variety of articulate sounds ', 
" which connected into words were of course imposed to 
" signify wants and objects." (Vol. ii. p. 13.) 

And to facilitate naturally the acquisition of lan- 
guage, the first inhabitants of the world are supposed 
to learn it from their child; (v. ii. p. 20) "for 
" children are greater analists than our best philoso- 
" pliers, (v. ii. p. 42) and have much contributed to 
"promote the progress of language." (Vol. ii. p. 21.) 

All these things, met with in Condillac, v. i. with 
modifications and difference, are more curious than 
useful ; however let us see first the value of the 
words. 



56 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



Cries are high voices, uttered with effort and often- 
times kept up with different accents, expressing ex- 
traordinary motions of the soul, against its natural 
and common manner of being. Accents are the 
elevation or abasement of the voice upon certain 
syllables ; they modify the tone. Tone is the con- 
tinuity or repetition of the same sound. Simple 
sounds may be without tone ; cries and interjections 
cannot be without accents and accents without 
sounds : consequently sounds are naturally the true 
principle of speech, expressing in all circumstances 
the natural or extraordinary motions of the soul, and 
are found in all words, as well as in cries and inter- 
jections, and may be uttered without interjections and 
cries. Is it what Nature Displayed means indirectly? 
I think not ; for she seems to admit interjections for 
vowels : then all words would be composed with 
interjections. 

Condillac as we have already seen, uses also in 
page 22, t. 5, the word accents not cries. 

Cries and interjections are not alike; their ex- 
pressions are very different ; they may contain the 
same sounds ; but the tone distinguishes the cries 
from the interjections which are always short expres- 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



57 



sions, sometimes simple, sometimes composed, some- 
times articulated. The word cry and this of inter- 
jection express their distinction. After that we are 
certain that cries are composed of interjections ? Can 
we say, to interject a cry and to cry an interjection ? 
No. 

But we shall say, in opposition to Nature Dis- 
played, that cries and interjections are composed of 
sounds, voices, with which nature has furnished men 
for the expressions of feelings, affections, motions, &c. 
of the soul in all circumstances. 

Can the cries and the stammering of a child be a 
competent proof of the formation of the first tongue ? 
Had the new philosophers applied their theory to the 
alteration and variation of language, instead of its 
origin, they would perhaps have been more success- 
ful. 

The numerous systems on the formation of lan- 
guage are only speculative things, which cannot be 
proved by facts ; and moreover contrary to the true 
principle known and practised at all times, and re- 
lated p. 21. v. ii. of Nature Displayed ; that imitation 

H 



58 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



has been the primary cause of the first grammar. They 
cannot imitate what is not contrived. 

However it be that first crying tongue of Nature 
Displayed was indeed highly melodious. Sweet har- 
mony ! and beautiful as sweet ! and new as beautiful ! 
and soft as new ! and gay as soft ! and good as gay ! 
and happy as good ! 

As men were not always crying, it was more natu- 
ral to cause them to have found without efforts the 
simple sounds, or voices, or vowels, the true elements 
of speech, of cries, of interjections, of all words, 
through the different openings of the mouth ; to have 
modified them in articulate sounds with the different 
parts of the organ of speech ; and to have applied 
them to common and extraordinary circumstances : 
for when a child our model begins to express his little 
ideas, it is in that way. This is concordant with all 
etymologists, with all grammarians, and especially 
Sicard; moreover with Geblin who use the word 
vowel instead of cry and interjection. 

" Next to each thought associate sound accords, 
" And forms the dulcet symphony of words ; 
" The tongue, the lips articulate ; the throat 
*' With soft vibration modulates the note. 

Tem/i. of Nature, ft. 92. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



59 



I know that Nature Displayed treats this subject 
in two ways; as grammarian she acknowledges 
sounds for the elements of words, and places the 
interjections among the parts of speech ; as analist 
she admits cries and interjections for the principles of 
them : it is to have more than one string to one's 
bow. But I consider the object under the analytical 
view : analists and grammarians must be concordant. 

As to the supposition of the two first inhabitants 
of the world learning to speak from their child, it is 
to ground suppositions upon another still more ab- 
surd, and to fall into contradiction with p. 13, when 
men were speaking with their arms and eyes only at 
the formation of the social compact. 

Seeing children are greater analists than our best 
philosophers ; they must be charged with digesting 
analytical systems : then we shall have some free of 
fancies. 

Since they have also much contributed to promote 
the progress of language ; they are able to give us, 
without doubt, the most simple grammar. 

Instead of drawing the first tongue out of limited 
and harsh cries, it was certainly a great deal more 



60 



NATURE EXPLAINED, 



philosophical to cause it to have proceeded entirely 
from nature itself. 

" Hear how the birds on every bloomy spray, 

" With joyous musick wake the dawning day ! Sfe 

" Why sit we mute, when early linnets sing, 

" When warbling philomel salutes the spring I 

Pope. 

In effect the waves' roaring, the whispers of winds, 
the thunderbolt's clap, the groaning of forests, the 
murmur of streams, the breath of zephyrs, the sighs 
of leaves, the swan's accents, the gentle hummings of 
bees, the singing of the thrush ; all, all in short was 
speaking in nature to the ears and eyes of the first 
inhabitants of the earth, who were great observers and 
imitators : every where they found the verb to be : 
every where they met with the parts of speech. 

Then their tongue would have been the lively 
image of nature, and would not have frightened in all 
occurrences with discordant sounds, and constant 
brunts of the accute against the grave. 

Afterwards the god of love would have adorned 
that language towards the south with his sweet ac- 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



61 



cents : to the north the asperities of the weather 
would have roughened it. 

Each zone would have so modified that natural 
primitive tongue ; then five principal dialects sub- 
divided according to the variation of every country's 
temperature. 

I acknowledge that philosophy of language p. 21, 
admitting a part of these ideas, says ; thus language 
in its first progress , must have been a collection of ano- 
matopees, or imitative words ; which is not without 
restriction. 



CHAP. IV. 

ORIGIN OF WORDS AGREEABLY TO NATURE DISPLAYED. 

" INTERJECTIONS are not words, because a 
u word is the sign of an idea, an interjection is that of 
" a sensation. The sensation has generated the idea 
" so has the interjection generated words" (N. D. 
v. ii. p. 229.) 



62 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



This idea of making the generation of words con- 
cordant with the formation of thoughts, is certainly 
highly ingenious, though erroneous. 

The end of the 35th page of Condillac's logick 
has some reference to this passage of philosophy of 
language ; but Condillac compares the generation of 
ideas with the manner in which they have been 
acquired. 

Nevertheless Nature Displayed maintains, v. ii. 
p. 3, that "words are composed of sounds. Of what are 
interjections composed? Of interjections, without 
doubt, if it is not of sounds; being composed of 
sounds they are words : but it is as a grammarian. 

But v. ii. p. 20, in the analytical part, the same 
philosophy of language says : We cannot refuse, as 
some grammarians have done, to rank the interjection, 
the mother of language, among the parts of speech. 
What do they rank among the parts of speech? 
Words certainly : thus interjections are words. 

Sicard says, t. 1. ch. 11. p. 537, " Interjections 
f in all languages are small words, which are written 
" or articulated signs of sudden motions of the soul." 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



63 



Sudden motions of the soul are confused and sen- 
sible ideas, without abstraction. Let us now listen 
to Condillac upon the same subject. 

P. 315, t. 3. " Locke ought to have remarked 
" that judgments are blended in all our sensations." 

Then sensations cannot be expressed alone by 
interjections. 

P. 226. " The property of each sensation is what 
" we call idea." 

Consequently the idea, in the expression, is inse- 
parable from the sensation. 

P. 23. t. 6. " Objects would in vain act upon the 
64 senses, and the soul could never take knowledge 
" of them, had it not the perception of them." 

Then without perception, which is the least degree 
of knowledge, sensations cannot be expressed : con- 
sequently interjections are not the signs of sensations 
deprived of their property of idea* 



64 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



Which is again proved by Condillac, t. 22. p. 85. 
" Sensations or ideas." T. 1. ch. 2. p. 26. " Ideas 
" called sensations." T. 2. p. 97. " Sensations are 
" sensible ideas." 

Consequently interjections express sensible ideas, 
which are motions of the soul ; and sensation has not 
generated the idea, as philosophy of language says, 
since sensation is itself the idea. 

We shall find also in Condillac the consequence of 
all these passages. 

T. 5. ch. 5. p. 321. " Interjections are rapid 
" expressions sometimes equivalent to complete 
" phrases." 

Can we express ourselves in speech without 
words ? and rapid expressions equivalent to complete 
phrases, certainly express something more than sen- 
sations abstracted from the ideas. 

Consequently Nature Displayed, Sicard and Con- 
dillac destroy themselves the generation of words and 
its concordance with the generation of ideas, esta- 
blished unquestionably by philosophy of language. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



65 



We must now attend to the signification of the 
words. Impression, pression-in. Sensation, action 
of the sense, communicated by the impression, vain 
without perception, idea itself with perception. Feel- 
ing, sentiment, esprit est sentant, esprit qui sent, 
mind which feels ; what ? sensations which are ideas 
themselves ; then in that case sensible ideas, as affec- 
tions, motions, passions, feelings in general. How 
are they naturally expressed ? by simple sounds, 
voices, vowels, and their different degrees and quali- 
ties by accents ; thus interjections are words com- 
posed of sounds with accents expressing sudden 
motions of the soul : consequently sensible ideas. 

Moreover Port- Royal makes its general division 
of words, in those which signify the objects of 
thoughts ; and the others expressing the manner of 
thoughts, as verbs, conjunctions and interjections. 
Messieurs Duclos and du Marsais approve of this 
division. 

Are sensations the manner of thoughts ? If it was 
so, conjunctions and verbs would express also sensa- 
tions deprived of the idea. The manner of thoughts 
is the form or modification of them. (Port-Royal 
p. 272.) 

i 



66 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



The whole cuts off the root of the pedigree of the 
parts of speech, that philosophy of language gives us 
as a truth, though grounded upon a sophistical dis- 
tinction about interjections, which according to it 
are not words, but ranked among the parts of speech 
and placed the last grammatically, whilst they are 
analytically the head or the mother of the numerous 
family of words without being words themselves, (b) 

Then the argreement between the generation of 
ideas and that of words, being deprived of its basis, 



(b ) We find in all grammars what is important to know 
upon the parts of speech, in a manner more or less explained 
without subtlety ; especially in Port-Royal, Condillac, even 
Siret by some means, &c. I do not mean the systematical 
part of Condillac upon the formation of language, but his 
grammar. 

Certainly the learned men of Port-Royal were able to give 
us the pedigree of the parts of speech in right line ; but they 
have, undoubtedly, perceived that, following such a way as 
Nature Displayed, some titles having been lost in the revolu- 
tions of languages, they were at a loss to prove without gaps, 
so ancient a nobility : therefore they have wisely confined 
themselves to explaining, in a very charming manner, all 
that is requisite to be known on language and its metaphy- 
sicks. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



67 



remains without validity; after having been chiefly 
demonstrated that cries and interjections have not 
given rise to language. 



CHAP. V. 

DISCOVERY OF ADJECTIVES BY SINGULAR EVENTS RELATING 
TO THE SYSTEM OF NATURE DISPLAYED, f c) 

WE have seen how men, according to Nature 
Displayed, had contrived the power of speech by 



( c ) As the historical part of this chapter, and the next 
two following, are mere feigned stories, contrived to enliven 
a very wearisome subject, it is necessary, for the understand- 
ing of them, to read in the second volume of Nature Dis- 
played the conversation 3, p. 25, the note on the abjectives 
p. 35, the note on the origin of pronouns p. 64, the necessity 
and origin of the verb p. 72 ; or at least to see in the pages of 
that book, quoted in these chapters, what has given rise to 
these allegories and the allusions of them ; allusions which 
are absolutely limited to the system of Nature Displayed. 
These stories and allegories are at the same time an ironical 
criticism of the system of Nature Displayed on the formation 
of language. 



68 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



cries composed of interjections, which procured arti- 
culate sounds, these sounds words to signify objects. 

These names were proper ; the same became soon 
nouns common of kind, after that of species ; because 
it is natural for men to generalise. (Vol. ii. p. 14.) 
(d) 

Every proper name of individuals is derived from 
some words having a common meaning. Vol. ii. p. 
21.) 

The whole is clearly proved for the primitive 
tongue in the beginning of the world, by the Hebrew, 
Greek, Latin, German, French and English. (Vol. ii. 
p. 22) fej 



J[d ) The most part of the 13th and 14th pages of v. ii. of 
Nature Displayed, is found in Condillac's logick, pages 36, 37 
and 38. And the different transformations of names are in 
Sicard, p. 63 and 64, v. i. 

( e) According to Menage, the Phoenician tongue came 
nearest to the primitive language. Messieurs Brochard, and 
Brerewood in his treatise of languages and religion, have 
proved that the Phoenician tongue was the Cananean. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



69 



All the adventures came to pass in the dawn of 
society, that is to say 1440 years before the deluge. 
216 years allowed for the slow progress of mankind 
in population, were hardly sufficient for weak beings 
deprived of speech, and wandering up and down 
through wildernesses among ferocious beasts. 

Nevertheless men and women, in a very small 
number, as ugly and stinking as he goats, speaking 
as apes, had been happy enough to gather themselves, 
by chance, in the delicious valley of Tempeia making 
part of Plato' Atalantis situated where the Mediter- 
ranean sea lies now. 

It was after their union in that place they contrived 
the aforesaid substantives ; and it was a great deal 
for the first generation in the dawn of society. The 
following stimulated by its inventive and scrutinizing 
genius, (v. ii. p. 15) discovered that there was some 
relation between an object and its qualities : p. 25, 
but those men having yet their souls in their senses, 
and being consequently bad metaphysicians, were not 
able to distinguish clearly the substance which was 
underneath from the accidents which were all for 
them, in spite of their efforts they could not abstract 
qualities, and name them without any regard to the 
subject. 



70 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



But nature pitied its own work and sent away with 
all speed from the top of Mount Caucase, Cocasse 
(Jester), towards that little colony the only hope of 
mankind, MOUNTAIN-MAN, (Vol. m p. 26.) 

He was a fellow T of noble carriage and high stature. 
He w T as charmed with the commission, because he 
was very fond of travelling. 

Jumping over trees, rivers and hillocks, he had 
very soon travelled 453 leagues which separated the 
valley from his country. 

He arrived at the date agreeing with our first of 
May, 345 years after the creation, on the height of 
the mountain which formed the southern boundary 
of the valley, precisely at the very moment that all 
nature was there vivified again by the first beams of 
the sun. 

MOUNTAIN MAN struck with the magnificent 
prospect of the plain, ran on a sudden as a torrent into 
it, and not perceiving the pygmies who inhabited 
there, he was very near to squash half a dozen of 
them. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



71 



The Tempeians stupified with that bustle, and 
still more amazed at the gigantick size of that un- 
known man, had not the strength to run away. 

But the women, who were skilful in the quick 
intelligence communicable by the eye, (N. D. v. ii. p. 
13) naturally acknowledged at the first glance that 
they had nothing to dread from a tall handsome man, 
and they hastened to remove the fear of the other 
inhabitants of the valley. 

The conversation began immediately between the 
people of the valley and their guest : you may easily 
imagine that it was with the language of action, the 
only one competent in such a case. The Tempeians 
overwhelmed him all together with inquiries upon 
his country, name, origin, travel, &c. 

As the man of the Cocasse-Mount was learned and 
polite he replied with a courteous complaisance which 
charmed the fair sex of the valley and prepossessed 
the men in his behalf. 

He concealed his name ; but he acquainted them 
with that of his own country, and said he had particu- 
larly, run over Sicardia, through its greatest extent ; 



72 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



and he descended in right line from Our&nos and 
Titia his wife ; which he made diem understand by 
showing the heaven with his hand, and giving a good 
stamp on the earth. 

Then the whole assembly was penetrated with 
admiration and respect for that stranger, who was as 
soon requested to fix his abode in the valley. 

The men thought that a fellow, who was able to 
fling down a lion as another can throw a child, could 
save them from being devoured; and the women 
minded other things than lions. What ? I do not 
know, the old book is silent about it. 

But it testifies they resolved from that instant 
to teach MOUNTAIN-MAN how to speak their 
articulate language ; and surrounding him, they began 
all together to tune the principles ( cries) of sounds, 
articulations, words of which they had soon ended 
the vocabulary, explaining carefully the meaning of 
them by making certain gestures. (V. ii. p. 13. in 
N. D.) 



MOUNTAIN-MAN smiled at so sweet a musick. 
With so vast and well organized a head he wanted 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



73 



only one lesson to know thoroughly the Tempeian 
language, such as it was at that time. Being ex- 
tremely tired with his journey, he went to rest after a 
repast in which he ate what would have been suffi- 
cient for the whole people of Tempeia ; but as they 
were in a plentiful country, they had no famine to 
apprehend. 

The women of Tempeia were very impatient to 
give way again to the ardour of their inclination 
(which was common also with the men of the valley) 
to use the faculty of speaking ; (N. D. v. ii. p. 16) 
by beginning anew the same lesson : but they 
were very much astonished to hear their scholar, 
when he awaked, speak as well as they. 

At that time they mentioned to him obscurely 
their embarrassment upon certain things they could 
not separate from the objects and afterwards add them 
to them with words fit for the purpose. 

Well! answered the envoy of nature ', I under- 
stand you ; you look for the adjectives : it is to let 
you know them that I came hither, and you shall find 
them in my name MOUNTAIN-MAN. 

k 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



You see that, without any other formality, you 
must join together two substantives comparatively. 

That manner of forming adjectives with the union 
of two substantives could not fail to please very much 
the school mistresses. 



They were so enchanted that they unanimously 
gave over their employ, and elected MOUNTAIN- 
MAN master of the Tempeian language in their 
country, and provisionally of the adjacent parts. The 
method which he made use of, was certainly the 
old one ; since these facts happened before the flood. 

c/J 



(f) Every one by reading chap. 5, may easily observe 
that the Atalantis of Plato, as chimerical as his republick, 
alludes to the totality of the numerous systems on the forma- 
tion of language in the origin of mankind. The delicious 
valley of Tempeia is taken for the system of Nature Dis- 
played. The first ugly and stinking inhabitants of that valley 
represent the first substantives, which having been formed by 
cries, were rude and disagreeable. The adjacent parts mean 
the languages derived from the Tempeian tongue. MOUA r - 
TAIN-MAN) the first example of the primordial adjectives 
met with in N. D. v. ii. p. 26, is personified and ranked in the 
old school, almost since the beginning of the world, in order 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



75 



CHAP. VI. 

BIRTH OF SIX AMAZING CHILDREN : A SUBSTANTIVE BRINGS 
FORTH WITH MUCH LABOUR THE ADJECTIVES PROPERLY 
SAID ; WHICH AT THEIR TURN BEGET ABSTRACT SUB- 
STANTIVES. 

THE progress of the Tempeian language was 
rapid with the influence of the old method ; and 
human nature was made clean and received improve- 
ments proportionably to the advancement of language. 

So that a Tempeian lady was brought to bed of a 
fine big vigorous boy ; some time after a second of a 
girl of a slender shape ; soon after a third of another 
of a white complexion ; speedily a fourth of another 



to picture by his deeds and embarrassments in these three 
chapters the objections of the old school against the system 
of Nature Displayed and the possibility of such adjectives in 
the primitive language ; whilst the whole is grounded on 
good authorities. The stories depict at the same time the 
unhappy situation of the first inhabitants of the earth, if they 
had been deprived of an articulate language, and the impossi- 
bility to contrive it. This explanation will prevent mis- 
chievous interpretations, which would be against my design. 



76 



NATURE EXPLAINED, 



with blue eyes ; within a little while a fifth of another 
with red cheeks ; and in fine a sixth of another with 
ruddy hps. 

These phenomena astonished our tawny black 
eyed men ; but rationally they attributed them to the 
improvement of the articulate tongue. 

They were at a loss what name to give to these 
new born, in order to distinguish them, and express 
at the same time the new corporal perfections which 
they were naturally endowed with. 

The Ajective-Man was consulted in his quality of 
master of language : knowing the analogy between 
effects and causes, he assumed a grave doctorial air 
and uttered these words with a prophetical tone. 

Let the boy be named Lion-Man ; let him be a 
great hunter before God and the father of an amazing 
race of men. 

Let the five girls be called, according to the order 
of their birth, Arrow-shape, Snow -Complex ion, Hea- 
ven-Eyes, Roses- Cheeks, Cherries or strawberries-lips ; 
(N. D. v. ii. p. 26) they shall be all, except one, the 
partners of Lion-Man's glory. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 77 



The Tempeians found that way of expressing 
qualities easy and admirable. The number of such 
comparisons was increasing every day ; and MOUN- 
TAIN-MAN acknowledged that would hinder them 
to look for the verb to be, which they were not then 
in want of to join qualities to the subjects, fgj 

He perceived also that they could never been able 
by themselves to draw true adjectives from substan- 
tives already established. Ke wished to qualify the 



(g) That manner of expressing qualities is also in Sicard, 
p. 95, 96, 97, v. i. It is possible that some savages make use 
of it ; but that is not a competent proof of the formation of 
the first adjectives from nouns, and still less for the adjectives 
of the primitive language : for M. Simon de Val Hebert, an 
author who has written upon etymologies, says in his pre- 
liminary discourse, p. 19 : that the first substantives were so 
significant that they were the images of the principal qualities ; 
which is conformable to the bible. Then how and at what era 
have nouns begotten adjectives ? that is the great difficulty. 
The only consequence of the whole is ; if language has been 
dictated by nature, it contains equally many arbitrary things. 
The same aforesaid author says upon this subject : " The 
" surest and the most reasonable for a philosopher and gram- 
" marian, is to look upon languages as being compounded 
" with natural and artificial signs." P. 16. 



78 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



nouns of substance by the gradual changes of their 
inflexions, (N. D. v. ii. p. 36) but he was soon con- 
vinced that the Tempeian substantives, yet very few 
in number, could not be submitted to gradual changes 
only after many centuries, and that the discovery of 
the verb ought to go before those gradual changes. 
Moreover he distinctly perceived that, if they were 
the sole means to form the adjectives properly speak- 
ing, the Tempeian language would remain without 
them during a considerable lapse of time, and per- 
haps be entirely stopped in its progress : thus he was 
obliged to look for another way to contrive the words 
fit to express qualities. 

Therefore he tried to name substantively the quali- 
ties, and to abstract the adjectives from them ; but 
he saw that it was to put the cart before the horse. 

Very much puzzled in that enterprise, he was 
one day walking up and down in the valley, thinking 
on the means to cause nouns or substantives to bring- 
forth the adjectives, because he was persuaded of the 
necessity to go from known things to unknown. He 
rubbed, at every moment his forehead with his hand ; 
nevertheless he could not come to a good issue, for 
he was deprived of the preliminaries. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



79 



But raising up his eyes to heaven, he was very 
much surprised to perceive at 6600 years from him 
in time to come, Nature Displayed opened precisely 
at the conversation 3 d of philosophy of language, dis- 
cussing upon the subject which perplexed him. 

He had soon read from p. 25 to 38 ; and was 
greatly susprised to find there his name and five of 
those he had imposed on those six children ; and was 
sensibly pleased with the clearness wherewith his 
doubts were resolved by applying to the primitive 
tongue the Latin adjective capax drawn from caput, 
head. (N. D. v. ii. p. 36) (h) 

Then he was certain, by making out the adjectives 
from his own head, necessarily they would have a 
substantive for mother. 



(h) That example of adjectives derived from substantives, 
is not an incontestable proof; for instances of substantives 
drawn from adjectives may be opposed : I do not mean ab- 
stract substantives, since Servius derives the word altaris, altar, 
from altus, high, &c. And the idea of the derivation of ad- 
jectives from substantives, is in the theory and structure of 
language by Erasmus Darwin, p. 230, where he says : " Ad- 
" jectives seem, originally, to have been derived from nouns 
" substantives." 



80 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



That he did with an incredible success, naming 
accidents as he had named objects : as if he had done 
it purposely to serve a new trick to the pedigree of 
the parts of speech of Nature Displayed, and prepare 
for it another blank. 

That has certainly caused Condillac to say, p. 83, 
t. 5 : " They have made adjectives, that is to say 
" nouns signifying the qualities of things, as they 
" have made substantives." Consequently nouns are 
divided into substantives and adjectives. 

Which proves undoubtedly changes or modifica- 
tions that altered their form so very much, that in a 
number of years after they had been first used, it was 
often impossible to trace them back to the nouns from 
which they were generated, (V. ii. p. 36. N. D.) 

The Tempeians afterwards drew easily with the 
help of analogy the abstract nouns from adjectives, 
in the same manner as a man becomes a soldier by as- 
suming the uniform of a regiment. (N. D. p. 31, 
v. ii.) 

And following always etimology and reason, they 
extracted the articles these very metaphysical terms, 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



81 



very early from the nouns of place ; (v. ii. p. 38 and 
46) because it was necessary to speak clearly in order 
to be understood. (V. ii. p. 45. N. D.) 

But the greatest difficulty was yet to be surmount- 
ed. The Tempeians perceived that an essential word 
was wanting ; however they could not find it : be- 
cause it was not in the power of these men to invent 
that word. (Vol. ii. p. 73. N. D.) 

Their master of language, having read Nature Dis- 
played, knew very well where it was concealed ; but 
nature had designed it : (N. D* v. ii. p. 73) thus it 
was not allowed to him to divulge the place of its 
abode. Nevertheless he sometimes indulged him- 
self in taking them alternately by the tip of their nose, 
saying go and fetch. ( ij These idiots departed im- 
mediately, ran over the valley, the hills, and came 
back again quite out of breath, telling him they had 
met with nothing. They remained long in that sad 
situation. 



(i) Because, according to Nature Displayed, this word is 
sounded through the nose by breathing. 

L 



82 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



CHAP. VII. 

MATCH OF LION-MAN. ORIGIN OF THE RACE OF GIANTS. 
WONDERFUL DISCOVERY OF THE VERB TO BE, AND OF 
PERSONAL PRONOUNS. 

YEARS slipt away in searching in vain for the 
verb. Already Lion-Man was ripe for marriage. 
He was of a gigantick height, handsome, well made 
and of a prodigious strength. His favourite employ- 
ment was hunting ferocious beasts, which had with- 
drawn to the mountains soon after the arrival of 
MOUNTAIN-MAN ; a circumstance that had se- 
cured the existence of mankind. 

The five girls contemporaries to Lion-Man had 
grown up in beauty as well as in fine high stature. 
The innocent sports of childhood had engaged four 
of them in an intimate friendship with Lion- Man, 
and love came afterwards and tied fast these knots. 

Then Lion-Man with the assent of MOUNTAIN- 
MAN, entreated the old men to unite him by the 
chain of matrimony to Arrow-Shape, Heaven-Eyes, 
Roses-Cheeks, and Cherries or Strawberry lips ; which 
was granted and executed with a general applause : 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



83 



thus was procreated the race of the giant-brothers who 
conspired to scale the skies. 

" Et conjuratos ccelum rescindere fratres." — Fir. G. lib. i. 

As for Snow -Complexion, her cold temper caused 
her to live a single life. 

We ought not to pass over in silence the most 
important event that happened at the feast of Lion- 
Man's marriage. 

MOUNTAIN-MAN in order to complete the 
rejoicing had designed to cause the Tempeians to 
find the verb. He knew a plant (for being an inhabi- 
tant of mountains, he had some notions of botany), 
which being smelled had the property of increasing 
the strength of respiration in such a manner they 
could no longer be out of that perfect onomatopee. 
(N. D. v. ii. p. 73.) 

Therefore he distributed some leaves of that plant 
to every guest, advising the whole assembly to smell 
them only and stoutly when he w T ould pronounce these 
words, AID US, with a loud voice. 

He ordered them to range round about him ; and 
he raised his whole head above them, " as a large 



84 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



" oak in a forest raises its thick branches above all 
" the surrounding trees." T. L. 1. Then he ad- 
dressed thus to nature : 

O Goddess ! whose beautiful hand has imparted 
to men, as well as to all living creatures, that simple 
and magick sound which alone could give to speech 
that connection and animation necessary to pourtray 
faithfully the objects of nature ; (v. ii. p. 73, N. D.) 
AID US ! 

On a sudden it was strongly manifested through all 
the noses, (v. ii. p. 74) he, het, aist, ast, hei, est-i, est, 
i, ew, es, eis,ys, ist, as, au (N. D. p. 73, v. ii.) 

So Minerva was brought forth from the brain of 
Jupiter by the help of Vulcan, fjj 



( j) I obser ve upon the expression of the verb to be by 
respiration, agreeably to Nature Displayed, that man expresses 
his voice by expiration, whilst beasts make it heard by aspi- 
ration ; (Buffon) and that, according to Condillac, t. 1. p. 365, 
the first verbs have been contrived to express the state of the 
soul when it is acting or suffering ; afterwards the termina- 
tion of those verbs (p. 374) has given rise to the verb to be ; 
which causes a great difference with the hypothesis of Nature 
Displayed 



/ 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 85 

Being in possession of the verb to be, nothing 
could delay the progress of the Tempeian language. 
Existence was signified; the union of qualities 
with the objects was expressed ; the qualities sepa- 
rated from the objects were restored to them ; the 
adjectives interwoven and blended with that verb 
gave rise to the other verbs. (V. ii. p. 74.) 

But the pronouns were discovered in a manner 
worthy of being related. 

Lion-Man according to his custom being at the 
chase fell in with a fierce tyger, the combat was long 
and obstinate on both sides ; at length Lion- Man 
crushed in pieces the head of his adversary with a 
blow of his club, and came back wounded and glo- 
rious with the spoil. 



She speaks p. 22, 45, 46, 73, 74, 75, 76, v. ii. of the He- 
brew, Greek, Latin, German, Idioms of Indian tribes of North 
America, Hindoo, Arabian, Polish, and languages of some 
Asiatick nations ; which is certainly great erudition : as I 
know very little of the Latin and nothing at all about these 
other languages, I leave the care to those* who have skill in 
them, to value what is said on their subject. 



86 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



He met MOUNTAIN-MAN on his way, and 
immediately he told him the adventure of which him- 
self %v as the hero ; in the warmth of the narration, 
being still in a great motion, he pressed his breast 
with vivacity to signify that he was himself the author 
of that memorable action : then such a sound as /, e, 
z>, emanated strongly and distinctly from his lungs. 
(N. D. p. 64. v. ii.) 

Afterwards stretching his arm with force, to show 
how he killed that ferocious beast ; the sound differ- 
ently modified gave thou ; thou hast never seen so 
wonderful a thing. Thus the pronoun of the first and 
the second person were formed out of the primitive word 
e> ie } which always designated existence. (N. D. 
p. 64. v. ii.) 

With regard to the third pronoun it is more than 
probable that the Tempeians extracted it from the 
noun of place ; for it was lying in some place : we 
found the proof of it, for the primitive tongue, in the 
Latin and French ; (N. D. v. ii. p. 65) although a 
probability is not a title allowable in a pedigree, (k J 



(k) It is true that, according to the primitive world by 
Geblin, e designs essentially and constantly existence ; but 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



87 



After many centuries the Tempeians found the 
model of prepositions in nature and expressed them 
with nouns worn out (if I may be allowed the expres- 
sion) by the friction of speech. (V. ii. N. D. p. 197) 
A title worn out is certainly a very bad one for a 
pedigree ; it cannot be perused. 

As to the adverbs they were eliptical phrases ; then 
near relations to prepositions and nouns. What Na- 
ture Displayed says upon prepositions and adverbs, 
is also in Sicard and Condillac, for the most essential 
part ; but before them in Port- Royal. 

The Tempeians made use of the verb to be for 
their fundamental conjunction, &c. (v. ii. p. 276) 



after that, without so much ado, the formation of the verb 
to be, of the pronoun of the first, second and third person, is 
found in a very simple manner ; e gave rise to the verb, the 
pronoun of the first and third person ; T signifying greatness, 
to the second ; and following that, they may have the chain of 
all the parts of speech ; which affords a great difference with 
the system of Nature Displayed : but all these things are 
extremely useless especially for teaching and learning the 
French language. 



88 NATURE EXPLAINED. 

*> 

that is also met with in Sicard, but in a more simple 
manner in Condillac. (I J 

All well, and so well that we can say ; that some 
philosophers, who have written on language and at- 
tempted vainly to explain the difficulties attending its 
formation, woidd have been exceedingly surprised, had 
the theory of philosophy of language been published 
during their lives ; (N. D. v. ii. p. 36) which is un- 
questionable. 

But it is certain also that the fundamental ideas of 
that generation of the parts of speech are in Sicard, 
p. 60, 61 and 97, v. i. and that Horne Tooke has 
given an account of the derivation and meanmg of 
many adverbs, conjunctions and prepositions. 

Moreover Mr. Lindley Murray says, p. 1 1 1 of 
his grammar : " Words are derived from one another 
fj in various ways ; viz. 



(I) In respect to that fundamental conjunction et, and, it 
is also explained in the primitive world ; here is its plain and 
short explication : " Et, word for word, this, which follows, 
exists, also that which precedes.'* 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



89 



' ' Substantives are derived from verbs; verbs 
" from substantives, adjectives and adverbs ; adjec- 
tives from substantives; substantives from adjec- 
<£ tives; adverbs from adjectives:" after having es- 
tablished sounds for the first principles of words. 

Which is contrary to Nature Displayed ; though 
he does not speak of the primitive language. 



CHAP. VIII. 

OBSERVATIONS ON THE GENDERS, ARTICLES, VERBS, Sec. 

PHILOSOPHY of language, in Nature Dis- 
played, v. ii. p. 15 and 16, says nothing of the gen- 
ders but what we find in other grammars, particularly 
in Sicard, p. 68, 69 and 70, v. i. 

But what Nature Displayed does not mention on 
that subject, is that objects and things without sex 
have in fact no gender, even in the French language. 

The different terminations belong to the adjectives; 
they have partly been diversified according to the sex- 

M 



90 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



es; afterwards they have used the same adjectives 
with one or other termination for objects and things 
without sex, being guided sometimes by reason, 
(Port-Royal) and I add more frequently by the ear 
instead of caprice. 

Mr. Thomas Ruddiman is on that point concor- 
dant with Port-Royal: "Gender," says he, " in a 
" natural sense is the difference between male and 
" female ; but in grammatical sense, we understand 
"by it the fitness that a substantive noun has to be 
" joined to an adjective of such a termination and not 
" of another." 

We find in philosophy of language, p. 21, con- 
cerning the words papa and mama; " It is an err our 
to think that the first articulate sounds have been the 
result of a blind choice. Nature first guided us," &c. 
No one could certainly disown that if children were 
not stimulated to speak by their parents, " The ivords 
mama and papa, which are probably the first invent- 
ed" — Certainly supposing the parents of the first 
child without language — u are found with the same 
meaning in a great many languages," Why ? The 
answer is wanting in Nature Displayed* 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



91 



Because in all countries children have begun by 
pronouncing the labial letters, which are the most 
easy to be articulated, and parents have applied the 
signification to those articulations, (which the two 
first inhabitants have articulated before children. ) All 
these things are in Menage, except the parenthesis ; 
and he relates that Martial, Cato, and the Greeks have 
spoken of these facts. That proves their novelty in 
the different late authors, and does not prove children 
have invented the language. 

Page 46, philosophy of language maintains : The 
truth is however that the Latin had our articles. 
Nevertheless all Latin rudiments say the contrary and 
especially Port-Royal, p. 293. 

It is not surprising to meet our articles in the 
Latin, since philosophy of language, following Sicard 
and against Condillac, places among the articles the 
greatest part of the pronouns. Wailly and Condillac 
acknowledge only for articles the, le, /a, les. 

Mon or my signifies distinctly moi or me, and in a 
confused manner something which belongs to me ; 
mon chapeau, my hat ; that is to say, the hat of me, 
or le chapeau de moi, &c. Port-Royal, p. 305. 



92 NATURE EXPLAINED. 

P. 67, The definition of the verb in philosophy of 
language is : %t The verb is an essential part and indis- 
pensable word which expresses the existence of an at- 
tribute with any subject or object whatever. 

In this definition taken from Sicard, p. 267. v. i. 
the most essential power of the verb is not expressed. 
The verb may signify the existence of an attribute, 
as well as the non existence of it ; in both cases the 
verb expresses the affirmation : then the affirmation 
is its principal function, which ought to have been 
preferably defined. That definition is found in an 
old book, consequently in the old school. 

SUBSTANTIVE VERB. 

" Vox significans affirmationem." 
A word signifying affirmation. 

ADJECTIVE VERB. 

" Vox significans affirmationem alicuj us attributi, 
" cum designatione personam, numeri et temporis." 

A word which signifies the affirmation of some 
attribute, with designation of person, number and 
tense. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 93 



Which is also in Condillac, p. 375 and 377, t. 1, 
That, explains metaphysically the influence of the 
verb to be in the inflections of all adjective verbs in 
all languages, without having recourse to its material 
insertion in an elliptical and constrained manner, as 
philosophy of language admits it, p. 74 and 190, 

Besides that proves : It will not appear very 
strange •and paradoxical to almost every grammarian, 
that there existed but one verb and it was etre. (P. 74, 
N. D. v. ii.) 

Does Nature Displayed, in philosophy of language, 
intend to give us that as a discovery and a new thing ? 

Nature Displayed knows very well that Sicard 
speaks of the verb as she, particularly p. 214. v. i. 
and we discover also all these new tilings in Condillac, 
Port- Royal, Pluch, &c. ; even in the dictionary of 
the academy ; even in the grammar of Chambeau, 
ch. 5 ; and especially in his exercises improved by 
Mr. Des Carrieres, edition of 1797, p. 5, where it is 
said : " The declarative term or copula is the verb 
" substantive etre, to be. The other verbs contain 
" in themselves both the copula and predicate : this 
44 sentence for example, Pierre marc he, Peter walks, 



94 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



" has the same import as this : Pierre est mar chanty 
" Peter is walking." 

But philosophy of language does not say that the 
verb etre does not keep its simplicity but in the third 
person singular of the present of the indicative. 



CHAP. IV. 

LAST OBSERVATIONS UPON THE THREE NEW AUXILIARY 
VERBS, NEW TENSES ADMITTED BY NATURE DISPLAYED 
AFTER SICARD ; AND SOME EXAMPLES OF THE ABUSE OF 
ANALYSIS. 

1st. ADMITTING venir, devoir, aller as auxi- 
liary verbs ; can we use them in their own conjuga- 
tions ; and with all other verbs, in all circumstances 
and tenses, without some balderdashes ? 

2d. If devoir, aller, venir are auxiliary verbs, pou- 
wir,faire, vouloir and others ought also to be ranked 
among them, and the tenses multiplied in conse- 
quence. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



95 



3d. These verbs are followed by the infinite and 
sometimes by a preposition, whilst the verbs to have 
and to be are joined to a participle ; which seems to 
be one of the peculiar distinctions of the auxiliary 
verbs. 

4th. But the most decisive proof of the verbs to be 
and to have being alone the auxiliary verbs, is pre- 
cisely because to be pourtrays the existence ; and to 
have takes sometimes its place and assumes its func- 
tions : for man does not exist by himself ; but having 
received the existence, he is in possession of it, he 
has it, 

A remark, which seems true, is that the vowel a 
which signifies possession, property, connected by 
the labial consonant b expressing what includes, or v 
which has reference to existence, with e designating 
existence, has formed the verb to have, avoir from 
habere : which seems to give to the verb to have the 
power of expressing existence, and to prove it is with 
reason that to have helps to conjugate it self y to be and 
other verbs. ( m) 



( m) I have drawn the significations of the letters 6, v, 



96 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



Consequently admitting three new auxiliary verbs, 
is to multiply them as well as the tenses not only with- 
out necessity, but even without ground. 

I corroborate my observations by Condillac, Port- 
Royal, and the greatest number of the grammarians, 
who admit only two auxiliary verbs, and especially 
by a passage of Wailly, p* 195. 

u We understand by Gallicisms a construction 
" peculiar to the French language, authorised by 
" good use, though it appears contrary to the common 
" rules of grammar : as, ilva vemr, ilvient de sortir." 
&C. 

Therefore it is more than useless to deviate from 
the simplicity of the common distribution of the 
verbs, tenses, &c. in order to multiply them with 
ne w and copious denominations, as a present posterior , 
past anteriour periodical^ &cc. the whole so distant 
from the plainness of many French grammars as-Con- 
dillac, Port-Royal, Restaud, Wailly, &c. &c. ; and 
moreover from the simplicity of the English language, 



e from the primitive world, where it it only related that a as- 
sociated to e by the labial b framed the verb habere to have. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



97 



which may be the basis of a general grammar as well 
as the French, (n ) 

Have they not made formerly good scholars with 
the grammars of Cobbet, Siret, and Chambeau, Per- 
rin, Porny, Wanostrocht, and the vocabularies and ex- 
ercises of these last, which have contributed to enrich 
the first volume of Nature Displayed, particularly the 
vocabularies of Porny, and the treasure of the French 
and English languages ? Are they not employed daily, 
especially Porny, Perrin, and Wanostrocht, with suc- 
cess ? Then they are not so despicable as Nature 
Displayed maintains. They are, except Chambeau, 
very simple, without emphasis, without metaphysicks, 
without curious and subtle inquiries; consequently 
the most suitable to teach and learn a particular lan- 
guage, for which we want only a particular gram- 
mar. When they wish to acquire metaphysical and 



(n) In respect to those new names of the tenses of the 
verbs, Condiilac says, t. 5, p. 215, what is related by Nature 
Displayed, v. ii. p. 79 ; but she does not mention that Con- 
diilac says also on the same subject, p. 2 16 : " They would be 
t: metaphysical denominations, of which the idea would escape 
" the metaphysicians themselves ; and yet grammar must be 
" within reach of every man capable of reflecting." 

N 



98 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



analytical knowledge, they have treatise more com- 
plete than that of Nature Displayed. 

Analysis certainly is a very good method for learn- 
ing ; but the abuse of it causes us sometimes to fall 
into darkness. I ask if the following instances are 
very clear. 

From Nature Displayed, v. ii. p. 223, after Sicard 
as it is said. 

DONC. 

De ce la vient. 
De la vient. 
D' ou vient 
De unde venit quod. 
De un venit q. 
D ON C 



DONC. 

From Sicard, v. i. p. 512. 
I' irai vous voir pourvu que le terns le permette. 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



99 



X tenu pour au comme vu. 
Qu tenu pour ou comme vu. 
Cela tenu pour ou comme vu. 
Cela, cest a dire le terns le permette. 

From Sicard, v. i. p. 194. 

Je sais ce que vous dites. 
Je sais cet X. 
Je sais ce qu. 

Et cet X est : vous dites. 
Et ce qu est : vous dites. 

est : vous dites. 
e : vous dites. 
Je sais ce que vous dites. 

It may be true ; as for me I do not know clearly 
what you say : but I know positively there are in 
Sicard's grammar other examples of that clearness of 
analysis, which, as well as its useless and puzzling 
innovations, forty eight tenses, new and long denomi- 
nations, (o) and five auxiliary verbs, does not alter, 
in many other respects, the merit of this work for 



(o ) Such as ; " Passe positif defini anterieur periodique 
u Passe comparatif defini anterieur periodique. " &c 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



100 



those who understand the French language, and still 
less the magnitude of the services of the author to 
humanity* 



CONCLUSION. 

IT has been demonstrated in the second part of 
this pamphlet, and proved by good authorities drawn 
from the best writers, and chiefly from those em- 
ployed by Nature Displayed, as Du Marsais, Sicard, 
Condillac, Geblin : 

1st. Her system is borrowed from modern philo- 
sophers, particularly from Condillac, with alterations, 
and the most part of her grammar from Sicard, with 
some changes, &c. fpj 



(ft) It must be confessed that Nature Displayed has indi- 
cated, in the preliminary discourse, the authors who have 
been useful to her ; but making use of passages and thoughts 
of some authors, how can these thoughts and passages be dis- 
tinguished from the ideas of the writer, if they are not quoted ? 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 101 

2dly. The errour of the basis of her analytick sys- 
tem on the formation of language. 

3dly. Cries and interjections have not given the 
elements of speech ; but have been formed with them. 

4thly. Her pedigree of the parts of speech is 
grounded upon a false basis, and has many gaps. 

5th and 6thly. Adjectives have not been extract- 
ed, at first, from substantives ; but have been formed 
as nouns, &c. 

7thly. The verb to be could never have been in- 
vented, even with the help of respiration. 

8thly. What she says upon that verb is not new, 
and things of some concern have been omitted. 

Consequently, Nature Displayed does not contain 
the plenitude of science ; and she may grant some 
efficacy to the pretended old method of teaching lan- 
guages ; since her's does not possess it in an exclu- 
sive manner. 



102 



NATURE EXPLAINED. 



In respect to her syntax, every body may see, if 
it is more complete and advantageous, than the syntax 
of many other grammars, and especially the exercises 
of Perrin and Porny. 



END. 



SUPPLEMENT. 



AS Nature Displayed is particularly extracted 
from Sicard's grammar, the short criticism made by 
Mr. Geoffroy, which relates to this grammar, will 
complete my observations on Nature Displayed. That 
criticism was inserted in the Journal des Debats under 
the date of the 21st of December, 1803, and has been 
in my possession ever since : I give it in French, be- 
cause it would lose much of its delicacy and energy 
under my translation into English. 

Seance de VAthenee. 
" Je me suis trompe lorsque j'ai dit que tous les cours etoient 
ouverts a Pathenee ; M. PAbbe Sicard vient d'en^ ouvrir un 
noliveau, et j'apprends que quelque jour M. Mirbel en ouvrira 
encore qu'autre. Iln'y avoit pas unegrande affluence d'auditeurs 
au discours d'ouverturede Mr. PAbbe Sicard : est-ce la pluie, 
est-ce la Grammaire generate qui avoit effraye les habitues de 
Pathenee ? une de ces deux raisons pourroit suffire ; toutes 
les deux y avoient contribue peut-etre. 

" La Grammaire generale est devenue fort a la mode, 
depuis qu'on neglige beaucoup les grammaires particulieres. 



SUPPLEMENT. 



Autrefois on se contentoit d'apprendre la grammaire fran- 
caise, la grammaire grecque, !a grammaire latine ; mais depuis 
qu'on parie mal la premiere de ces langues, et qu'on n'entend 
plus les deux autres, on s'est fort adonne a la Grammaire 
generale : tel est le fierfectionnement ou la fierfectibilite qui 
s'est introduite dans cctte partie. 

" Mr. PAbbe Sicard applaudit fort a cette heureuse revo- 
lution ; il rend grace a cet esprit philosophique qui, analysant, 
tout, approfondissant tout, perfectionnant tout, a debarrasse 
les grammaires des huit, des neuf, des dix parties du discours 
et de tous ces termes barbares de nominatif, de genitif, de 
datif, de gerondif, de participe, de supin, tres-propres a rebu- 
ter les commencans, et sur-tout ce sexe aimable dont la timi- 
dite ne s'qffraie pas moins des mots que des chases. On a 
trouve cela fort plaisant, et on a beaucoup applaudi. 

a Pour menager done la timidite du sexe, M. PAbbe Si- 
card otera les mots et ne laissera que les choses ; il les depouil- 
lera meme de toutes les claisons materielles et corfiorelles y et 
ne laissera voir que ce quelles ont d'zntellectuel, etc. ; en un 
mot, dans son cours de grammaire generale, il ne fiarlera 
fioint grammaire, il ne parlera que logique ; que fiensee, et 
cependant comme ces abstractions si subtiles pourroient effra- 
yer les dames presqu' autant que les mots, pour les remettre 
en pays de connoissance, il leur parlera un peu de Isiparole, 
vetement de la fiensee, et il taillera si bien 1'habit, qu'on verra 
,1a chose habillee avec toutes ses circo?istances, tous ses acces- 
taircS) toutes ses maniercs d'etre. 



SUPPLEMENT. 



" A Paide de cette methode, il fera voir qu'un morceau de 
Bossuet, de Racine, de Milton n'offre qu'un grand tout, le 
plus sublime effort de Pesprit humain, une periode I Or, la 
periode est I 9 element du discours, le discours est Velement du 
livre, le livre est l 9 6lement de la bibliotheque, de I 9 Encyciopedie, 
et tout cela se reduit a un element, a un seul et unique element.— 
C'est une belle chose que la Grammaire generate I 

" Veut-on savoir mieux encore ce que c'est que la periode ? 
qu'on regarde un tableau de famille. Eh bien, c'est une pe- 
riode ! Vous avez surement vu, dit M. PAbbe Sicard, un fa* 
bleau de famille, oit un fiere est represents donnant une legon 
a ses enfans ; la mere participant a la legon, ou la, dans un 
coin, faisant autre chose, Je puis prendre toutes ces figures, 
les isoler, en /aire autant de portraits, en eomposer une galerie ; 
alors elles ne seront plus groufiecs* ce ne sera plus une scene, 
ce ne sera plus un drame, ce ne sera plus une periode. 

" II y a pourtant dans le monde d'aussi belles choses que la 
periode : ce sont les deux magies du verbe elre. Je voudrois 
bien pouvoir les faire connoitre aux lecteurs ; mais quelle 
longue periode il a fallu pour expliquer la premiere I que de 
verbes entasses (quoiqu'il n'y ait pas de verbes dans le dis- 
cours) pour definir la seconde ! et com me une longue bagu- 
ette appliquee a un petit flambeau a peu reussi a me faire 
entendre les magies, malgrc les proprU'tes de la baguette et ses 
intimes rapports avec la magie ! 

Je n'ai guere mieux entendu comment, ces lignes, tracers 
par un eleve celebre, et certain ement ues-etonnant, de M. 



SUPPLEMENT. 



l'Abbe Sicard, representoient l'etat d'une ame qui sort de sa 
ftassivete, de sa quiettide pour eontempler une table verte, et 
abstraire la qualite du vert de la substance de la table, ni ces 
autre s ljgnes par*lesquelles il a explique combien il y avoitde 
mots dans le discours : j'ai seulement compris qu'aulieu de 
motS) l'eleve avoit mis noms, et qu'enfin le maitre et le disciple 
sont parvenus a effacer noms et a retablir mots d la grande satis- 
faction des spectateurs. II m'a semble enfin que toutes les 
subtilites des fieriftatSticienS) des thoinistes, des scotistes^ des 
rtaux, des nominaiix, que les entites, les qviddites, les virtiiali* 
tes n'avoient rien de plus inintelligible qu'un morceau de 
Grammaire ge'nerale. 

" Je sais bien que Watcher traite de betes et de mechans 
ceUx qui parlent contre la Grammaire generate ; mais Wat- 
cher est peu poli, et sa colere me semble respirer un peu de 
fanatisme grammatical. Ne pourroit-on pas ; avec plus de 
fondement, accuser messieurs les grammairiens d'etre un peu 
piechans, lorsqu'ils nous donnent tant de peine pour les enten* 
dre ? Pour moi, je proteste que si je n'ai pas entendu M. 
i'Abbe Sicard, je ne l'ai pas fait expres ; je n'ai assurement 
pas ete mechant dans,, cette affaire. Je ne puis pas assurer 
aussi positivement que je ne merite pas la seconde qualifica- 
tion," dont Watcher nous gratifie si liberalement. Je dirai 
seulement, pour attenuer la presomption qui s'eleve contre 
moi, que c s est la premiere fois de ma vie que j'ai assiste* a* 
un discours d'une heure sans y entendre une phrase. 

" J'ai d'ailleurs lu sur la figure de mes voisins qu'ils 
n f etoient pas plus heureux que moi, et je suis pursuade que 



SUPPLEMENT. 



M. l'Abbe Sicard n'a jamais ete tnoins entendu que depuis 
qu'il ne parle pas a des sourds ; aussi il ne s'en est pas fallu 
de beaucoup qu'il nous ait souhaite Ta vantage de Petre. Cea 
esprits neufs, nous a-t-il dit, voient les objets beaucoup plus 
philosophiquement : ils n'ont point ete gates par toutes les 
connoissances ante'rieures, qui souvent denaturent en nous les 
idees natu relies et primitives ; et il nous Fa prouve par Pob- 
jection que lui fit un de ses eleves, a qui il vouloit demontrer 
la superiorite de la langue franchise sur la langue anglaise, 
il etablissoit cette superiorite sur l'avantage qu'a la langue 
francaise d'attribuer des genres et des nombres aux qualites 
des substances, aux adjectifs, a la couleur du btanc, par exem- 
ple. Eh quoi ! lui dit le sourd et muet, est-ce que le blanc a 
des sexes, est-ce qu'il est une multitude ? Le professeur avoue 
qu'il ne put pas repondre a cette objection. 

« On ne peut, au reste, prononcer les mots de sourd et muet, 
sans se rappeler le zele, la patience, les talens et les succes de 
M. l'Abbe Sicard. Ces idees rappellent en meme-temps celle 
de la reconnoissance que lui doivent tous les amis de l'huma- 
nite ; il en est le bienfaiteur, et c'est le plus beau de tous les 
titres. Ah ! quand on a celui-la, a-t-on besoin, pour se con- 
cilier l'estime et le respect de ses concitoyens, d'y joindre celui 
de professeur a V athenee, et sur-tout de pi'ofesseur de gram- 
maire generale V* 

PROOFS OF MY METAPHYSICAL ASSERTIONS IN THE SECOND 
PART OF THIS WORK, EXTRACTED : 

1st. From Sicard's grammar, v. i. p. 2 ; " The object is the 
cause of the impression ; the impression is the occasion of 
tlie image which is present ; this image is a sensation." 



SUPPLEMENT. 



2dly. From Condillac, t. 22. p. 85. a We experience sen- 
sations almost as a harpsicord renders sounds. The exterior 
organs of the human body are as the stops, the objects which 
strike them are as the fingers upon the keys, the internal 
organs are as the strings of the harpsicord, the sensations or 
ideas are as the sounds ; and the memory takes place, when 
the ideas, which have been caused by the action of the objects 
upon the senses, are occasioned again by the motions of which 
the brain has contracted the habit." 

T. 22. p. 79. " The action of the senses upon the brain 
renders the animal sensible." 

T. 22. p. 81. " The brain is the first organ, a common 
center." &c. (Sensorium, p. 43. t. 1.) 

T. 3. p, 84. " I have a sensation when a motion is made in 
one of my organs, and is transmitted to the brain." 

T. 22. p. 25. " Sensations, considered as representing sen- 
sible objects, are called ideas ; a figurative expression, which 
literally signifies images." 

3dly. From the Zoonomia of Darwin, v. i. s. 2. p. 3. <£ The 
nervous system has its origin from the brain, and is distri- 
buted to every part of the body. Those nerves, which serve 
the senses, principally arise from that part of the brain, which 
is lodged in the head." P. 5. " The word sesorium expresses 
not only the medullary part of the brain, but also that living 
principle, which resides throughout the body." 

Moreover they may see the treatise of M. de Buffon on the 
senses, v. 4 ; and the chapters 1 and 2, chiefly the p. 144 and 
145, v. 2. of physiology, by Charles Louis Dumas, in 1800. 

At last, the preface of the excellent grammar of Chambeau 
concurs to corroborate what has been evinced in the first part 
of this work, in opposition to the method of Nature Displayed. 



